


Stop and Smell the Roses

by ivy_thalassa



Category: A Court of Thorns and Roses Series - Sarah J. Maas
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Elriel, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-16
Updated: 2020-10-16
Packaged: 2021-03-08 22:54:51
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,046
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27044599
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ivy_thalassa/pseuds/ivy_thalassa
Summary: Elriel modern day AU where Elain owns a flower shop and is pregnant with her ex-husband’s baby
Relationships: Elain Archeron/Azriel
Comments: 8
Kudos: 45





	Stop and Smell the Roses

“Oh, hello Azriel!” Elain chirped as he entered the flower shop. “What can I do for you today?”

“Oh, um, I’m going to visit my friend and his girlfriend for dinner and wanted to give them some flowers,” Azriel replied quietly.

It was true, but that wasn’t the reason he’d chosen to bring flowers instead of cookies or fruits. No, the main reason he’d come was to see Elain. Elain Archeron was the 25 year-old flower shop owner with a heart of gold and a warm smile for everyone. Despite her young age, she was extremely successful, and her flower arrangements sold for ridiculously high prices at auctions. 

Azriel had stumbled upon her flower shop three years ago, when he was trying to find a cactus to give his best friend, Cassian, as a birthday gift (yes, Cassian actually liked cacti). He’d immediately been drawn to Elain’s warm demeanor and had wanted to become her friend — well, he had actually been interested in her romantically as well, but had seen the ring on her finger and shut that thought down immediately. Azriel worked in IT security at a nearby business, and had made excuses to come see Elain fairly often. Eventually, they became friends and often met up for coffee at  _ Kallias’ Koffee _ , the local shop Elain preferred to support rather than Starbucks. 

Recently, however, Elain had gotten rather busy and then Azriel had gotten a new project and they hadn’t seen each other in quite a while. 

“Ooh, who’s this friend?” Elain asked as she fiddled with something at the counter before turning to walk away from the desk.

“It’s just Rhys, but he has this new girlfriend he’s really serious about. No one has met her yet, so he decided to invite us all over tonight,” he explained.

Elain nodded. As she walked towards him, he noticed her protruding belly. Was she-? No, it was impolite to ask, wasn’t it? If she wanted to tell him, she would, wouldn’t she?

Still his gaze flicked over her stomach a few times before returning to her face.

“Hmm, so you want flowers for Rhysand’s mystery girlfriend, huh?” Elain asked, her voice light. “Any idea what she’s like?”

Azriel wracked his brain. “I think she likes art? I remember Rhysand mentioning that he was buying her sketchbooks and paint for her birthday and, hmmmm, I think she’s also interested in astronomy? Or maybe she just likes stars?” 

Elain gasped. Azriel looked down at her sharply, wondering if something had happened to her — but no. A large grin had spread across her face. Her eyes held a touch of mischievousness as she whispered conspiratorially, “I think I know who the mystery girl is.”

Az raised an eyebrow. “Oh?”

Elain just nodded. 

“Who is it?” Azriel inquired, leaning in.

Elain shook her head and mimicked zipping her lips shut, locking them, and throwing away the key.

Azriel, in turn, mimicked catching the key, unlocking her lips and unzipping them, which made her laugh. Her laugh was beautiful and melodious. Most people’s laughs were actually fairly grating or creepy after a while — they were too high pitched, too screechy, too throaty, too low pitched. Elain’s was like a magical melody, filling the air with contagious joy.

“I can’t tell you,” she protested as she selected a few flowers — irises and moonflowers and yellow orchids. “All I can say is that I know her taste really well.”

Elain gestured at Azriel to hold the flowers she had chosen for a second. He did as she was told, and she moved to retrieve a hidden plant. She returned with three black flowers with a red and white center.

He had never seen a black flower before and he told her as much.

“This isn’t black. There are no completely black flowers that we know of. This is just very deep purple,” she explained. 

“What does it mean that Rhys’ girlfriend likes black flowers?” Azriel leaned in and whispered, “Is she a dangerous witch?”

Elain giggled. “Maybe. Or maybe she just likes nighttime and stars?” 

Azriel narrowed his eyes in jest, but then laughed softly.

“See you around, Azriel!” she called after him as he exited the shop.

He raised his arm in mock-salute in response, making her smile.

* * *

Two days later, right when he had finished his work for the day and was about to head home, his phone rang. He pressed ACCEPT while slipping into his coat and slinging his work bag over his shoulder.

“Hello?”

“Az?” It was Elain’s voice, but it was different somehow. She was… stressed? Worried?

“Elain? Are you alright?” Azriel asked, walking down the stairs. 

“I’m- um,” her voice sounded shaky. “I slipped on some water and I fell on the floor and I’m having some trouble getting up. Could- Do you mind coming to help me? Unless you’re already at ho-”

“Of course! I’m on my way right now,” Azriel replied, seriously.

Her whispered “thank you” sounded so unlike her usual joyous self that a piece of Azriel’s heart seemed to break. As he ran to her shop, he reminded himself that his heart was not allowed to break because his heart wasn’t supposed to belong to her because she was  _ married _ , for gods’ sake. 

“Elain? Elain?” he called, rushing into the flower shop.

“I’m here!” her voice replied. 

She was laying flat on the floor in a puddle of water. 

He propped her up, then lifted her to her feet with his arms. 

She winced. 

Immediately, his eyes scanned her from head to toe. He could see nothing wrong, but what if she was bleeding? What if she’d broken something? What if-

“I’m going to call an ambulance,” he declared.

“What? No!” Elain exclaimed. “Do you know how much those cost? Anyway, I’m fine.” She bit her lip and then added quietly, “I’m just a little worried about Anna.” 

“Anna?” he asked.

“The baby.” Then she blushed. “Please don’t tell anyone! I was planning on keeping the name a secret!”

Azriel promised, but only if she agreed to let him take her to the hospital. She gave him the address of Prythian Care, where her OBGYN was. 

As they drove, Elain repeatedly thanked him. 

“It’s completely fine, Elain. I just want you and the baby to be healthy,” Azriel replied. Then he asked, “Do you want me to call your husband?”

Elain’s eyes dropped to the floor and she shook her head. She took a deep breath and announced, “Grayson and I are divorced.”

It took all of Azriel’s willpower not to jolt. 

Instead, he asked softly, “Do you mind asking what happened?”

“He- Well, his family never liked me. They were rich and very religious and they didn’t like that my family wasn’t. Grayson never cared but I guess over time he started getting tired of having arguments with his family. And then…” Elain sighed. “We went to a family dinner, not just with my sisters, but also my extended family. We don’t have many of those because both my parents passed away, but we were invited so we decided to go. After we got home, Grayson asked me if I knew that Isabella, my cousin, was married to a woman. I told him that I did know that and he told me not to talk to her again. We got into an argument and then he started telling me to stop having dinner with my sisters so often — my younger sister, Feyre, who I know you’ve met,” she added with a look in Az’s direction, “is an artist, and she tends to paint a lot of nude or semi-nude portraits. My elder sister, Nesta, is a lawyer and is basically the opposite of meek and mild. She’s fierce and has been caught cursing on camera several times — outside the courtroom of course. I told him that he couldn’t stop me from seeing my sisters. He asked me who I would choose between him and my sisters. I told him that I didn’t want to choose and that if he needed a choice to be made,  _ he _ should choose between me and his family because there’s no option of having me without my family. That’s when he left.”

“I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be,” Elain replied. “I did love him, but we weren’t right for each other. After we got divorced and I realized I was pregnant with his baby, I went to go tell him. He was with another woman. He told me that I must’ve gotten myself pregnant with some other man’s child and that I was just coming back to him to ask for money and other awful things. So I left.” 

Azriel didn’t know what to say. After they parked in the hospital parking lot, he opened her door and kissed the back of her hand before wrapping his arm around her shoulder to support her weight as she walked to the hospital. 

Due to Elain’s persistence, the doctors agreed to check the baby’s health first but only if she agreed to also be checked afterwards. 

The OBGYN motioned at Elain to enter a room to do an ultrasound, so Azriel settled into a chair outside the room, only to find a hand tugging at his arm.

“Do you mind coming in with me?” she asked, her eyes wide and uncertain like a fawn.

“Of course I don’t mind, but I thought you’d want some privacy,” he replied quietly.

“Please,” she pleaded, so he followed her in.

The OBGYN asked Elain to lift her shirt, revealing her stomach, and then placed some gel. The doctor placed some sort of equipment on her belly, and a humping sound filled the air. 

Elain gasped and a wide smile spread across her face, her eyes filling with tears of joy.

Even the doctor smiled. “You daughter is perfectly healthy. Heartbeat’s strong, arms and legs are moving around, everything looks great.”

“Thank you so much!” Elain cried. 

“I’m going to move you to the other room and have someone else check up on you, ok?”

She nodded. 

* * *

“It’s fractured. Luckily, it’s just a hairline fracture, so it will heal on its own, but you’ll need to stay off your feet for a while. You should keep this food elevated and put some ice on it for the next 48 hours,” the doctor instructed.

Elain bit her lip. “I own a flower shop, so I can keep that closed for a while, but I don’t know if I can stay off my feet. I live alone.”

“Is there anybody who can take care of you?”

Elain tilted her head. “My elder sister is out of town.”

“Do you have any other family?” the doctor inquired.

“I have a younger sister,” Elain admitted. “I love her and I know she’d take time off if I asked, but she’s working on a huge project right now and I don’t want her to give it up for me. Besides, she isn’t really the nursing-back-to-health type. She’s young, very in love with her boyfriend, and loves to party and paint.”

“I could take care of you if you want,” Azriel offered.

“That’s very kind of you, but it would be, like, 24/7 for a  _ week _ . I already feel bad for making you drive me here,” Elain said, apologetically.

“You didn’t make me do anything. I’ll take care of you,” he said firmly, before wincing and adding hesitantly, “That is… if you want me to?”

Elain studied his face for a moment, blinked, and then nodded. “Okay, if you’re sure. Thank you. But what about your work?”

He waved her off. “I can easily work from home. Don’t worry about it.”

* * *

“Okay, this is the guest bedroom,” Elain pointed. “And this is my room, so if you need anything, let me know.”

“Isn’t that my line?” Az chuckled. 

She shook her head in mock exasperation. 

Azriel settled into the bedroom, placing his clothes in the closet and his laptop and chargers on his desk. It felt strange to be moving into another person’s house. Still, he couldn’t deny that he was kind of looking forward to it. He had spent the last five years living alone and companionship, especially in the form of Elain Archeron, would be a welcome change. Even if it was only temporary. 

A few hours later, he brought Elain Archeron a bowl of noodle soup, some caesar salad without chicken and roasted portobello mushrooms for dinner. 

He found her sitting up in bed, her leg raised as instructed, flipping through a book with a dark green cover.

“Oh! You didn’t have to make me food,” Elain’s eyes widened taking him in. “That looks delicious though, thank you.” 

Azriel smiled at her. “My pleasure.” He tilted his head towards the book she’d put down. “What’s it about?” 

“It’s about the language of flowers in different cultures and the myths associated with different flowers,” Elain explained, giving it a fond glance. “My sister, Nesta, gave it to me for my birthday last year.”

Azriel nodded. Then, rubbing the back of his neck, he said, “I hope you like the food. Sorry, I wasn’t really sure what you liked, but I know you prefer not to eat meat, so…yeah. Let me know what you think.” He gave her an awkward half-smile and turned to leave the room.

“Wait, where are you going?”

“I figured I’d leave you to eat and read…”

“Come on, let’s eat together!”

“Okay, I’ll go rustle up something for myself.”

“Wait, why didn’t you just make enough for both of us?” Elain questioned gently. Her eyes widened. “If it’s the meat thing, I’m not completely vegetarian, you know. I don’t mind you cooking meat if it means that you can eat it, too.”

“Oh, no, I just wasn’t sure if I’d eat tonight. I figured I’d rustle up something later.”

Elain’s expression prompted him to quickly make himself a meal and return to her room. 

She hadn’t touched her food yet. 

“Bon appetit!” she smiled as she lifted her fork to her mouth. She seemed to be glowing as the setting sun streamed through the window, encasing her in gold. 

How could she be so joyous, so bright, despite all that fate had thrown her way? She truly was a marvel, Az thought to himself as he and took a bite of his own food.

* * *

Five days later, they’d fallen into a comfortable rhythm. Azriel would make the food, and they’d eat together, either at the table or in Elain’s room depending on how tired she was. 

Elain’s eyes never failed to light up when Azriel entered the room. Even though Azriel knew that it was probably the prospect of food that brought her joy rather than his presence, he couldn’t help but feel flattered. 

“Elain, guess what I made for dinner?” he asked as he stepped into her room. He stopped short as he saw that she was lying down in bed, faced away from the door, clutching her stomach. 

He felt a jolt of panic run through his body and called out in an alarmed tone, “Elain?”

She turned around slowly, turning her whole body while remaining horizontal. His fears were appeased instantly as he saw the bright smile on her face. 

“Come here,” she grinned. Surprised, he approached her bed, stopping when his knees touched the bed frame. Elain patted the empty space on the bed and he sat down, careful not to accidentally sit on her leg. 

She gave him another grin  that made his heart skip a beat , and took one of his hands in hers. How was her skin so soft and warm?

With her other hand, she rolled up her shirt, revealing the bare skin of her protruding belly.

She placed his hand on her stomach. 

Confused, he began, “What are you—” He felt silent abruptly as he felt something pulsate against his palm. No, it wasn’t pulsating, it was- “Is she kicking?”

“Yeah,” Elain replied. He sat there, in awe of the sparkles in Elain’s eyes and of the strength in the kick of a child who had yet to even be born. 

“She’s so strong,” he whispered.

“She is, isn’t she?” Her eyes were adoring as she spoke. Motherhood clearly suited her. 

“Just like her mother,” he smiled, content to be with them even just for a short time. And if delusions of someday being their family filled his head, well, they were of no consequence to anyone but him.

* * *

On Monday, he went back to work. He left his stuff in Elain’s house, telling himself that it was more convenient to pick it up after work, and that he definitely wasn’t trying to avoid having to move out. 

He dropped Elain off at her flower shop and drank his coffee, trying to let the bitter taste wipe the  lovesick smile from his face. It seemed to serve its purpose somewhat, allowing him to get to his seat calmly, but the stupid grin returned as he sat down. 

He went through his day in a daze, doing his work on auto-pilot, his head filled with thoughts about a certain woman. 

Finally, he decided to take a break for lunch. He visited the bathroom, and splashed cold water on his face, trying to shake himself out of his dreamlike state. 

Perhaps he would ask Elain if she wanted to get lunch with him, he thought to himself as he returned to his desk to grab his jacket. Although she had said that she was fairly busy today. Perhaps he would just drop off some lunch. 

Yet upon reaching his desk, all his thoughts flew out the window. A vase with a light blue tint sat on his desk. It was filled with yellow and red flowers. 

The attached note read:

_ Azriel, _

_ Thank you for all your help during the past week. _

_ I really enjoyed spending time with you. I’ll miss you!  _

_ Love, Elain _

_ PS: The flowers are yellow lilies and red tulips <3 _

He stared at the vase, half-wondering if he had dreamed it up. 

Then, remembering the book she had been reading the other night, he pulled out his phone and looked up the meanings of the flowers.

Yellow lilies — thankfulness

Red tulips — true love

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you enjoyed it!   
> Please let me know what you thought by leaving a comment :)  
> I take fic requests on my tumblr (@sayosdreams) so feel free to check that out!


End file.
